Gujarat Assembly polls | Over 900 government, police officials transferred after Election Commission’s warning
The Hindu
The poll body observes that 51 more, including IPS officers need to be moved and demands compliance report by October 27
Over 900 police and administrative officials have been transferred in Gujarat days after the Chief Secretary of the poll-bound State was pulled up by the Election Commission of India (EC) for not following its directive in this regard.
On Friday, the EC had written to the Gujarat Chief Secretary and its police chief demanding an explanation over why it had not received compliance reports regarding the transfer of officials directly connected with the conduct of the soon-to-be held Assembly elections in the State.
According to norms, officers directly connected with the conduct of polls in a State or Union Territory cannot be posted in their home districts or postings where they have served for a considerably long period during elections.
The Chief Secretary of Gujarat, on Wednesday, complied to the EC’s directive of transferring both the police and administrative officials from postings in their home districts or from posts which they have served for a long time leading to the transfers of 900 officials.
The EC, however, also observed that 51 such officers are yet to be moved and directed the Chief Secretary to ensure that these remaining officers, including six senior IPS officials, be asked to report to their respective headquarters and that the EC receive a compliance report in this regard by 4 pm on Thursday.
Five of the six police officials included senior IPS officials currently posted in Ahmedabad are Premvir Sinh, Addl. Commissioner of Police (crime), A.G. Chauhan, Addl. Commissioner of Police (traffic), Harshad Patel, Dy. Commissioner of Police (Control Room), Mukesh Patel, Dy. Commissioner of Police, Zone-IV, Bhakti Thakar, Dy. Commissioner of Police (Traffic) — all of whom are posted in Ahmedabad City — and Rupal Solanki, Dy. Commissioner of Police (Crime) posted in Surat City.
The EC had, on August 1, written to the Chief Secretary and Chief Electoral Officer of poll-bound Gujarat over the issue and asked for a compliance report by September 30.
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.